|
|
|
|
|
by Owen Thomas |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"Flesh and Stone" picks up soon after the end of "Electro Blood." The
terrorist D'AnClaude remains in intensive care after his battle with Armitage,
but, quizzically, someone is still stalking and murdering the almost human
androids known as the "Threes." Armitage herself has disappeared, and high
ranking police officers have learned, as we did in the first episode, that
she is in fact one of the aforementioned "Threes." Now the extreme brutality
of the crime scenes reminds some in the department of Armitage's own considerable
flair for the old ultraviolence.
Detective Ross Sylibus enters the mystery when he investigates the origins
of the "Threes" with the hope of learning how to detect them and who in the city
may be targeted next. The secrets Detective Sylibus uncover raise more questions
than answers, and the script scatters hints liberally about the motivations and
complicity of several characters. Some details are murky, in part because many
characters are clearly involved in subplots to be addressed in later episodes.
Director Hiroyuki Ochi hints at secrets that will drop as bombshells later in the
series. Still, this episode moves quickly and is full of intrigue.
While Sylibus investigates in his official capacity, Armitage goes underground,
haunting the underbelly of the city on her own vigilante quest; spying from rooftops
and violently interrogating street criminals. Their paths converge when they
simultaneously locate Pluto, one of the last "Threes" alive and the next likely
victim of the unseen android-slayer. Armitage is now officially wanted for the
previous murders, but instead of arresting her, Sylibus joins her and Pluto until,
inevitably, the true assassin arrives in an armed-to-the-teeth battle mecha, and the
fight to save the "Threes" ensues.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The tangible world of "Armitage III" seeps up through the skin of "Flesh and Stone."
It tells more story than the first episode in half the length of time. Mystery without
answers obscures characters' motivations, but this uncertainty creates curiosity and
palpable tension. Ochi and screenwriter Chiaki Konaka provide substantive reasons to
doubt the honesty of other cops and to wonder whether Sylibus will arrest or aid Armitage.
The dark noir visual style matches the change in the story now that our heroine is a
vigilante capable of savagery and coldness. Philosophical questions become more complex.
"Flesh and Stone" gives hints about the sexuality, relations, exploitation and emotions
of robots. Most importantly, now that Armitage is outed as a "Three," these questions are
personally relevant rather than abstract. The script explores these ideas only vaguely,
but it does it quickly and therefore palatably.
The direction in which "Flesh and Stone" develops its characters deserves A+ marks.
Despair changes Armitage, who is lonely, uncertain, and now very much alienated from her
former comrades. Fittingly she has embellished her wardrobe with darker hues of leather
and more spikes, although, god bless her, she's still the sort of girl who wears garters
and stiletto heels to fight street crime. Sato also drops hints that some of the supporting
characters might actually have narrative dynamics instead of just expository lines,
especially the police lieutenant, the PR director for a robotics firm, and the other "Threes."
Detective Ross Sylibus, though terse and stiff as ever, slowly changes through his
relationship with Armitage - his antipathy for androids and sympathy for her come into
conflict, as do his loyalty to the law and his doubts about some of his colleagues in the MPD.
The noir elements of "Flesh and Stone's" art and story are stylish and strong.
Every scene contains colored light from sunsets, street signs, fires or computer
terminals. The artists use these myriad sources of light evocatively to color mood elements
within scenes. Omnipresent smoke, shadows and rain give shots visible texture; and multiple
layers of background and detailed depth, especially in exterior shots, create sharp
perspectives. The director sets up scenes obliquely, from above, or from the corner of the
room, as in a classic film noir, composing shots with a painterly eye.
The real progress made in this episode is the portrayal of New Lowell itself, slowly
becoming a much more interesting place. A sanitary and glossy city in the first episode,
give or take a red light district, it now teems with gothic street criminals. Debris on
the streets include human skulls and heavy rain. How does it rain in a city inside a dome
on Mars? Who knows? But it fits in great with the noir style. So, who cares? All around
"Flesh and Stone" fully realizes its cyberpunk/film noir style.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|